Originally Posted by
dhuey
That's my hope as well. For too long, the domestic carriers have sold essentially the same product, with minor variations. It would be good for consumers to have a genuine choice over the level of service they get in coach.
Skybus and perhaps others can offer the most bare bones product. Others, such as JetBlue now and Virgin America shortly, can offer interesting amenities, like in-flight entertainment systems. United's P.S. service is also pretty impressive.
So many FTers worry that Skybus might cause the other carriers to race to the bottom. I don't think that will happen.
Unforuntaley if Skybus fares well I do see legacies heading this way, AA is already watching this very closely. However, I think that for elites (at least for the 50,000 mile and up levels) the legacies won't subject them to some of the nonsense such as paying for seat assignments, checking bags, boarding first, etc. But if you are sitting in Y you can be assured on less seat pitch, paying for any food and drink and being hawked everything under the sun.